Member Registration Is Open For 2026 AABB Annual Meeting

Member registration is now open for the 2026 AABB Annual Meeting, the blood and biotherapies community’s premier event. This year’s meeting will bring blood banking, transfusion medicine and biotherapies professionals from throughout the world to Atlanta, Oct. 17-19, to share research, exchange ideas and explore the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the field.

The meeting will feature a keynote address from Frederick Appelbaum, MD, executive vice president at Fred Hutch and a pioneer in bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and cellular therapies. Appelbaum will trace the evolution of BMT, from its earliest days to the frontier of in vivo gene therapy, while highlighting the critical role blood banking and transfusion medicine have played in advancing patient care.

Educational sessions will explore a range of timely topics, including blood system resilience and emergency preparedness, donor recruitment and retention, patient blood management, accreditation and quality systems, emerging technologies and advances in biotherapies. The program combines cutting-edge science with practical education designed to help attendees address today's challenges and prepare for the future.

The 2026 AABB Annual Meeting will also showcase the latest research from across the field through oral abstract presentations, poster sessions and spotlight sessions highlighting emerging science, innovative practices and new approaches to improving patient care.

Industry partners will showcase products, technologies and services in the Exhibit Hall, which will also feature the AABB Learning Theater and the return of the AABB Biotherapies Pavilion. These spaces provide opportunities for attendees to discover new solutions, engage with industry experts and connect with colleagues from across the blood and biotherapies community.

Members who register by July 21 will save up to $325 on full-meeting registration. General registration will open on June 10. Nonmembers may join AABB to receive the member registration rate.

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Frederick Appelbaum, MD, to Deliver Keynote Speech at 2026 AABB Annual Meeting

AABB is pleased to announce that the keynote speaker for this year’s Annual Meeting will be Frederick Appelbaum, MD. Appelbaum is the executive vice president at Fred Hutch and a professor in Fred Hutch’s clinical research division. He has been an influential leader in the blood and biotherapies field for decades, authoring or coauthoring more than 800 peer-reviewed articles; his work has led to landmark advancements for patient care.

Early in his career, while working at the National Cancer Institute, Appelbaum described the first use of autologous transplantation as curative therapy for malignant lymphoma. This therapy is now used to treat more than 50,000 patients annually. After moving to Fred Hutch, Appelbaum led the first studies demonstrating the ability of transplantation to cure myelodysplasia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin disease, as well as its role in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. Appelbaum was also instrumental in developing gemtuzumab ozogamicin, the first antibody-drug conjugate approved by the FDA.

In his keynote address, Appelbaum will trace the arc of bone marrow transplantation – from its earliest days to the frontier of in vivo gene therapy – and will detail the critical role of the blood banking and transfusion medicine community. Appelbaum will highlight the historical relationship between bone marrow transplantation and transfusion medicine, including AABB’s own early role as a model for field regulation and self-governance, and how a strong blood bank infrastructure was foundational to making transplant medicine possible.

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Neil Blumberg, MD, Steps Down as Director of URMC’s Transfusion Service

After more than 45 years of leadership in transfusion medicine, Neil Blumberg, MD, recently stepped down from his role as director of the transfusion medicine unit and blood bank at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). He will continue to serve as director of URMC’s stem cell processing laboratory.

An expert in blood transfusion immunology, Blumberg joined the University of Rochester faculty in 1980 as the institution’s first full-time blood bank director and went on to become one of the field’s leading voices on transfusion immunomodulation and leukoreduction. He conducted his work in close collaboration with his longtime research partner and wife, Joanna Heal, MBBS, MRCP, whose contributions helped shape decades of influential studies in transfusion medicine. Across decades of research, publications and national service, Blumberg and Heal helped drive scientific debate around the immunologic consequences of blood transfusion and challenged longstanding assumptions about ABO compatibility, transfusion safety and clinical outcomes.

Blumberg and Heal’s work contributed to growing evidence supporting leukoreduction and ABO-identical transfusion strategies and helped shape modern thinking around patient blood management and evidence-based transfusion practice. Beyond his research contributions, Blumberg also played a significant role in the broader transfusion medicine community through leadership and advisory roles with national initiatives and organizations, including the NHLBI Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study (REDS) Program.

In addition to his research and clinical leadership, Blumberg made extensive contributions to AABB as an educator, author and committee member. He coauthored numerous AABB publications, served on AABB committees and working groups, and contributed to the scientific literature of transfusion medicine for more than four decades, including longtime service on the editorial board of Transfusion. In 2019, Blumberg was inducted into the AABB Foundation Hall of Fame in recognition of his decades of contributions to transfusion medicine.

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New AABB Association Bulletin Examines Neonatal RBC Transfusion and Mannitol Exposure

AABB released Association Bulletin #26-03 (AB #26-03), Neonatal Red Blood Cell Transfusion and Mannitol Exposure, which provides a summary of available evidence and practice considerations related to the use of red blood cell (RBC) units stored in mannitol-containing additive solutions for neonatal transfusion.

AB #26-03 notes that clinical data support the safety of small-volume transfusions using RBC units in neonatal and pediatric patients, but evidence regarding large-volume transfusions remains limited. It also highlights how supply chain changes and the transition to DEHP-free blood bags may further reduce availability of mannitol-free RBC storage solutions.

The bulletin summarizes published data on small- and large-volume neonatal transfusions, reviews the physiologic effects of mannitol exposure in neonates and discusses potential risks associated with rapid or high-volume transfusion. It also examines real-world transfusion practices in several countries and outlines possible strategies to reduce additive solution exposure, including washing and supernatant reduction of RBC units.

AB #26-03 was developed by an ad hoc working group of AABB member physicians with expertise in pediatric transfusion medicine, including members of the Clinical Transfusion Medicine Committee. Additional Association Bulletins are available on the AABB website.